Snow Covered Dreams
by Fuu and Momo419
Summary: I could not forget him. The man who changed my life forever still haunts my thoughts and dreams. I want to find him again, but if I did, would I be willing to give it all away? AU and sequel to "Fear is How I Fall"
1. Chapter 1 Give it all away

_I'm back XD! I took a little break, but recently I got down to business and worked on my fics! I still have quite a few that I'm working on, but I really wanted to finish and post this one. I was excited when I finished it, and hopefully you guys will like it. Before I get started, I'd like to explain something. This fic is based off of Linkin Park's song "My Dsmbr" and I used the lyrics for the title. However, the lyrics I found and used are slightly different than the real lyrics- the ones I found had slightly different words. "Dreams" was actually supposed to be "trees", but I really like "dreams" better. It works more with the story. I hope that makes sense XD Sorry if I confused anybody…Anyway, here it is! The long-awaited sequel to "Fear is How I Fall"…_Snow-Covered Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Champloo, any of the characters, or the song that this fic is based loosely upon.

Chapter 1- Give it all away

I was a murderer. I had killed a countless number of ninja so that a criminal could escape and felt right doing so. I had caused this criminal to fall off the side of a cliff with little, if any, hope of surviving. I had killed the man who held my heart, my everything, all in one night.

I was a thief. I stole my father's trust in me. Trust that I would forget everything that had to do with _him_. I stole the opportunity from everyone in the city to live a peaceful life now that the most wanted man was dead; I never shut up about him in those pain-filled years that separated us. I stole the hope of my mother that I would be well and live a wonderful life as she lay dying.

I was free. My mind kept me awake at night for days on end, slowly killing me each minute. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. Without any thought of where I was going, I ran away. I carried the aikuchi he had given me a long time ago close to my heart and jogged out of the city's gates. Foreign warmth that hadn't heated my heart since I received the sunflower gave me strength. I smiled strangely as a thought floated into my dazed mind 'I have no idea where I'm going…'. I let my feet carry me onward.

When the mountains groaned with a cool breeze, the temperature dropping continuously, I was brought abruptly back to reality. I looked up to the dark sky, my breath coming out in steamy puffs, seeing nothing but the angry grayness that forewarned a large storm.

My first few minutes of freedom and it was about to storm…I prayed it wouldn't be too bad, but it was that time of year, and with the temperature dropping so much I knew my prayers would be hopeless.

I stopped and rubbed my arms to build up some heat, looking around for shelter. There was nothing. I sighed, a huge cloud of steam erupting from my mouth and pushed my feet towards the forest off to the side of the road. I knew where I was going in the back of my mind. I wasn't even sure it was still there, let alone standing, but I needed to see the temple desperately. I needed to know that world still existed. The world where I was me.

The treetops above sheltered me from the now-falling snow, and I began to recognize some of the scenery. The ground below my feet gave way to large boulders, little grass poking through, and began to slope upwards. I followed it for what seemed like forever, climbing up and over the boulders at what seemed like the end.

I panted and wiped away sweat, stopping to sit on a cold stone's surface. None of this looked familiar…Had I made a wrong turn somewhere?

I flicked snowflakes from my arm as they fell on my skin and shivered. I looked up to see the trees gone, left behind near the bottom of the slope. Fear crawled up my spine and I spun around in a panic, thought racing through my mind. Could there have been a landslide? Was I standing on top of the remains of the temple?

I jumped up and kicked some of the dirt away, thinking for some reason that there would be wood underneath my feet. There was only dirt. I rubbed my arms again and continued to climb up the rubble. There was a loud rumble from above and I cried out as the earth beneath me began to shift. I swayed and fell to one knee; something jagged jammed against it and sent a sharp pain up my leg. I slid down with the earth several feet and then stopped. I shakily stood up and shifted uncomfortably to my other leg.

I looked up to the sky again and snowflakes landed in my eyes. Things were turning out harder than I had thought. If I had a clear mind when I began, I wouldn't have come in the dead of night and during winter.

The wind blew again and I gasped at the blast of cold. My whole body trembled and my teeth chattered. The wind continued to blow, picking up and whisking my hair into my eyes to the point that it stung. Over the howl of the wind, I heard a faint creak of wood and looked up through my messy bangs.

I don't know how I saw it, but there it was. On a hill just ahead and off to the side of the landslide was the temple. The already-ruined eastern wing was now rubble in the landslide, but there was a solid path to the building.

I perked up some, my body still shivering, and stumbled up to my old home. Snow was beginning to stick to the ground and it made my footing even worse, but somehow my foot hit the earth of the old temple. As I neared, I frowned, stepping on dead vines and leaves, their crackles breaking the thick silence.

Sudden twinges of heartbreaking familiarity depressed me, but I forced myself to walk to the small piece of heaven. Hopefully the front doors were still intact. The building blocked the cold wind, but the snow had increased almost as though to replace it. I finally reached the front doors to find that one of them had collapsed as a result of the shifting earth.

I was thankful and yet disappointed. Most of the temple was still here, but it pained me to see it in this state. I forgot how numb my body was as I lay a hand on the old wood; I could feel all the memories warm my heart and I smiled. With a gentle push, I opened the door; dust and splinters rained down on me but I didn't care. Beyond me was almost complete darkness and the air was stale. The soft glow from outside cast little light, but as my eyes adjusted I could make out the Buddha Statue nearby.

Normally I would have come up with a safer solution, but the cold weather was beginning to take a toll and I was a little dazed at the moment. I entered and closed the door behind me. Everything was now overwhelmingly dark, but I knew my way around. Living here for so long was proving to be useful and I followed the left wall closely. Near the Buddha statue was the corner, and past that and down the hall was…

I reached the door to the room I had visited so many times before and held my breath as I lay a hand on the ricepaper. My numb fingers shook, though I wasn't sure why. Exhaling a heavy breath, I pulled back the door and gasped in surprise at what was inside.

It was as though the three years hadn't touched this place. From what I could see, the crates and boxes still piled to the ceiling and trash littered the corner to the far right under the window. Beneath the stale air I could make out his scent and I smiled.

I shivered as I closed the door and felt my way to the futon. On my way I tripped over something; I bent over to find a large cooking pot and an idea made my heart beat fast. I picked up and set the pot next to the futon and made my way to the crates. I felt for any loose boards and managed to pull up several jagged pieces and a regularly sized board. I examined the crates more for anything else to use to make a fire with and ended up finding a rock with my toe. It was in the trash pile- why, I still don't know.

I found old rags there as well, and gulped when I realized that they were the makeshift bandages that I had made from the kimonos he had given me.

I took my findings and placed them in the pot, except for the rock and the large board. I took out my aikuchi and began to strike the two together over the top of the mass of objects. Minutes passed before I got sparks and I blew on what landed on the rags. Smoke gently filled the room and a small blaze lit up my exhausted face. Once the fire hit the wood pieces, I had something to be proud of. I warmed my aching fingers and sheathed my aikuchi. Taking the big board in hand, I slammed it against the floor several times. There was a crack and it broke into several pieces of extra firewood.

I was tired beyond reason, but strangely happy. I lay down on the futon, not caring if it was dirty or not. How I had changed over the years…

I was so different from other women my age. I was almost 21, and yet I wasn't engaged, married, or even looking for a man. Technically I already had one, but things were difficult between us.

I sighed and pulled down my hair, placing my chopsticks and ties next to me on the other side of the futon along with my aikuchi and sandals. I checked on my fire to find it perfectly fine. I lie back down and shut my heavy lids.

For the first time in a long time, I felt peaceful.

A/N Well, there it is. We've taken our first step! Hope you guys liked it! I know it was kinda slow in some places, but I was trying to make it emotional and everything. On a lighter note, I'd like to personally thank everybody who presented all your wonderful ideas to me. I tried to work them into the story somehow, but if I didn't, I apologize. Some of them appear later on, so don't lose hope! XD Thank you all again- I can't say how much I appreciate all your reviews and ideas! (sniff) XD Okay, okay, I'm gonna get going before I make a fool of myself and/or make you guys sick. LOL Until next time! Review please!

_And I'd give it all away_

_Just to have somewhere to go to_

_Give it all away_

_To have someone to come home to…_


	2. Chapter 2 Me Alone

_Hey everybody! Sorry for the wait again, but I was kinda busy recently. Also, I was hoping for a few more reviews before I updated again…anyway, hope you enjoy, and please remember to leave a review!_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo, any of the characters, or the song this fic is based loosely upon.

Chapter 2- Me Alone

A cool breeze tickled my cheek and I shivered, opening one eye to the world around me. As my vision cleared I began to remember everything and I swallowed as I took in the room around me. Things weren't as intact as I thought they were the night before, but I was still comfortable were I was. To my side was the pot with the dying embers of my fire and I sat up to place more wood into the fire. I rubbed my arms as I shivered again and tied my hair back. When I reached for my aikuchi my fingers twinged and I hissed. My fingers were ice cold and numb and I tried to rub warmth back into them. How long had my fire been out? Most importantly, what would I do now? It was morning, and last night had been made up as I went along. This time, I really needed to think things out.  
I warmed my hands over the small fire and sighed in contentment. I stood and walked over to the window. Frost covered the rice paper and I gritted my teeth as I opened the window along the track in the sill. The garbage beneath my feet crunched and I looked down to see snow among the tatters. Outside, snow layered the trees and ground a good solid foot or so. The roof was probably the same and I suddenly worried if the old building could support the weight. My face stung in the cold air and I retreated back inside to the few-degrees warmer room. I sat back on the futon and my stomach protested to deaf ears. If anything, I needed to find something warm to put over me and protect me from the cold.  
I stood and visited the crates once more. A foreign language was stamped on the sides and everything was nailed shut. I wiggled a few of the boards to see if I could pry some loose and found a few that cooperated. The boards fell to the ground and I grinned at the idea of more firewood for later.  
I stilled as I heard a creak from the old building. It stopped almost as quickly as it had started and I figured that it was just the wind. I turned my attention back to the crate and sneezed at all the dust. Inside the crate I could see parchment and books and understood why it had been untouched. I checked two more crates, one of which was already open on the back side- I figured he had turned it around once he was done with it- and had empty boxes of money in it. Figures.  
The last box had something furry in it and I screamed in fear that an animal had chewed its way inside and may still be alive. When it didn't move I looked closer and saw stitches along the fur placed a hand on it. It was definitely fur, but there was also fabric. It looked almost like some sort of foreign-country coat, maybe European. I took out the coat to see more fur on the bottom of the sleeves and coat itself.  
I was curious about the strange article of clothing and slipped my arms through the sleeves and tied the sash around my waist. I blew stands of fur away from my face and looked down to my feet when soft fluff tickled my toes. The coat was so long that it trailed down to my feet and the collar was so fluffy that it was like a scarf. I could feel myself warming up almost immediately and I basked in it peacefully. I stumbled back to the futon and sat with a huff. My breath still steamed, but I was considerably warmer now.  
There came another creak from the building, but this one was long and agonizing and snow and wood sprinkled down from the ceiling. Fear snapped me into action and I sprung up and held my aikuchi for reassurance. There was a thick silence and then a groan from the building; the floor beneath my feet shuddered and I staggered back against the wall. I looked out of the open window nearby and saw snow falling in large clumps from the roof outside.  
I suddenly realized how unstable the place was around me. With a fresh burst of energy, I ran from the room and out into the hallway. On my way down the corridor the roof caved in nearly on top of me. I shrieked and doubled my speed, stopping several times to dodge falling debris. The front doors were close to me now, but a rafter had just fallen over the right door. With my last bit of energy I galloped to the broken left door and groaned as I pushed the broken remains out of the way. Dirt fell down into my hair and snow tumbled through the crack; from what I could see, the snow was even deeper outside now than it had been before.  
The door jammed on the deep snow outside and I cursed loudly, hearing the roof behind give way slightly in a series of small crashes. I panicked and forced myself to slip through the crack I had managed to create. There was a ripping sound as little wisps of fur floated away with the wind and snow.  
After I had run to a safe distance I turned back and saw a gaping hole in the roof and heard a loud, long, sorrowful groan from the building; with one last blow of the wind, the entire roof and part of the walls of the main hallway caved in. I stared in disbelief; how had I gotten out? How did I wake up just in the right time to escape an instant death? Was this what he had once described as instinct? Perhaps this truly was my first step by myself in this new world.  
I noticed the steady amount of snow pouring down all around me and that it had started to collect in my hair. I pulled the collar up to protect my face from the cold. I was nice and warm, but hunger was beginning to bother me. I had no choice but to start on my journey; maybe I would find somewhere to get food. I was excited to finally get going, and it actually made me forget my hunger.  
Before I left, I turned back to the ruins of the temple. I prayed respectfully to the temple and thanked it for sparing me.  
I turned away quickly, depression beginning to leech away my energy, and started down a path west from the temple. I had to watch for ice on the way down, and I slipped a few times.  
I felt a little like a child as my shoes crunched in the snow. The snow was packed nice and thick below me, but the recent snow had made it just thick enough to get on my feet if I wasn't careful. The icy crystals would burn and then freeze my skin in a painful pattern.  
I wasn't more than a mile away from the temple when I stepped down on a patch of rocks and the whole mountainside path rumbled with a dull roar; I gasped, unable to fully grasp what was happening as the ground fell out from beneath me and I followed close behind into a deep dark abyss. I began to understand and opened my mouth to scream. Instead of my voice there was a sickening crack and searing pain filled my senses.  
My senses dulled and without the tiniest warning, my sight went black.

_A/N: Ooooo, another cliffhanger! Please note that I really don't like the idea of fur coats- I only put it in the story because it was the warmest, oldest kind of coat I could think of. Sorry if I offended or disgusted anybody T.T Anyway, please review!_


	3. Chapter 3 Somewhere to go to

Hi there, everybody! Hope you all had a good Easter! Well, my editor is in town, so I'm updating so she won't hurt me! I mean, uh, never mind XD. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! Hopefully I'll get more this chapter HINT (XD) Until then, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo, any of the characters, or the song this fic is based loosely upon.

Chapter 3- Somewhere to go to

"_Fuu, dear, come here! I think you'll like this!" _

_I turn towards my mother's voice and see her hand reaching for me. She towers above me and smiles sweetly as though she's just discovered a great secret. My tiny hand fits in hers easily and we walk slowly throughout our yard. My father watches us from the porch and I wave to him; even though there is a man from his work trying to have a grown-up conversation with him, he smiles and waves back casually. _

_I turn towards my mother. "Mommy, who's Daddy talking to?"_

_She looks in their direction and smiles more, but it is strained. "Somebody from his job, sweetie. If Daddy likes what the man says, things might change for us." _

_I look back one more time and then turn my attention back to what we are headed towards._

_It's the sunflowers, titans in their own distant world. They sway in the breeze in a sleepy, strange kind of dance. I look up at my mother and see a sad admiration in her eyes, almost as though she wants to be like them and just sway in the breeze all day. _

"_Mommy, do you like those?"_

_She pulls her eyes down from them and smiles genuinely down to me. "Yes, dear. They're my favorite flowers…" _

_She looks back up to them and the look returns to her eyes. I follow her example and as I do, another breeze sweeps through them; this time the breeze takes a dead flower with it, the brown stalk bending over into the earth and the petals- crisp and brown- tear off to fly away. _

_And at that moment, I wondered if that my mother did become a sunflower, she too would be swept away by the wind._

***

My arm was warm as I came to- it wasn't uncomfortably warm, but it caught my attention first as I awoke.

I heard crackling nearby and smelled burning wood and as I opened my sleepy eyes, I saw a bright orange blur just a few feet away from me. I groaned as I blinked my eyes after they began to ache from the bright light and tried to move my arm; it protested with an unusual feeling. It wasn't a negative feeling, but I knew better than to try and move it again.

At this point I was immobile…I opened my eyes again, this time away from the fire, and began to take in my surroundings. I was in a very snug little cave, with a rather large fire built in the middle in which I was very close to and could feel its lovely warmth. The large furry coat was over me like a blanket and I felt material underneath me, protecting me from the cold of the cave floor.

There was a noise from the corner and I shifted my eyes over in that direction. A huddled silhouette and its wild eyes stared over at me. Instead of feeling afraid, I was strangely comfortable and smiled.

"Hey Mugen…"

I heard a grunt, almost sounding amused, followed by a "Hey, kid…"

I shifted irritably upon hearing the nickname and sat up with a painful twinge from my arm. "You know my name, so why don't you call me by it?"

He grinned, the shadows of the cave making him look like a demon. " 'Cause it pisses you off."

I pouted and looked away from him, but inside I was far from upset. My stomach growled mightily and he scoffed. I expected several rude comments and prepared to retaliate, but he only put onigiri before me and put a kettle onto the fire.

I stuffed my mouth full of the tasty rice with my good hand, raising my eyebrows as I watched him with the kettle. "Since when do you make tea?"

"Medicine," he corrected, emptying several packets of ground herbs and powders into the boiling mixture on the fire. I was surprised to see him pour a small bottle of sake into the kettle as well. He smirked and said, "It'll warm you up."

I blushed furiously and kept to myself, finishing the food before me. When I had finished I inspected my injured arm and saw that it was in a makeshift cast, a splint layered with plenty of bandages wrapped around my arm, which explained why my arm was so warm.

He placed a clay cup before me filled to the brim with green liquid. It smelled spicy and exotic, and probably tasted horrible.

"Drink this, and I'll give you another cupful."

"Why?"

"So you'll feel better, stupid."

I shook my head, "Why didn't you come see me all this time?"

He became very still and met my gaze slowly. His eyes were still as wild as I remembered them, but there was more of a fire than there used to be. I wondered what would make them be like that. "Do I need to explain? They thought I was dead, and I'd really like 'em to keep thinkin like that."

I looked down to the ground. "You could have at least written to me or something…"

"Yeah well, I didn't know how to read or write til about a year ago…Had some crazy shit happen, some good fights, awesome women…"

"Stop changing the subject!" I yelled angrily. It echoed around several times in the cave and finally quieted. "Do you know how horrible things have been for me?"

His eyes became deep pools of anger. "You knew I was alive! That was enough." He turned away quickly. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

I glared at his back and picked up my tea. That stupid jerk…why did he always have to do this to me?

I heatedly drank all the liquid in one gulp- I shuddered at the taste and the hot tingle the alcohol left in my throat and put my cup down where he had placed it before. Mugen suddenly looked over and took the cup back, filling it with the liquid again. He gave it back to me and watched me eagerly, almost as though he wanted to watch my reaction to the bad taste.

I looked at the liquid inside, forgetting out little argument earlier, and shyly asked, "Why did you rescue me?"

It felt like he was quiet for a long time. Finally, he shrugged and took the cup back after I finally drank the last of the putrid medicine. "Do I need a reason?"

I lay back down and didn't reply. I could feel the alcohol beginning to have more of an effect on me than his medicine. "How long did you know my name? You know, back there?"

He actually counted a little on his fingers. "A couple of days after you came." He grinned at the last part and I scowled.

I shifted in the covers, yawned, and closed my eyes. "Jerk."

_A/N: LOL, well, that was fun! There was some angst in this one! (cue evil laugh) I really enjoyed writing the first little part of the chapter. It kind of added some poetic stuff in here XD Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and please leave a review! It really helps me out, because then I know you all want to read what I have! And I have a lot in store for you! LOL See you next chapter!_


	4. Chapter 4 Me Pretending

_Hello all! Hope you all are enjoying your summer so far! Thanks to all of you who left reviews for the last chapter! Recently I received a lovely review on my other story, _"Fear is How I Fall" _that really got me thinking and made me realize that there were still a few things I needed to tie up. I hope to answer all of the reviewer's questions! I'll try to slip in a few things here and there, but all in all I think the big answers will be added on to the last chapter - which btw is chapter 10; I'm trying to write longer fics. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Review please! _

Disclaimer- I do not own Samurai Champloo, any of the characters, or the song this fic is loosely based upon.

Chapter 4- Me Pretending

_The morning air was chilly and numbed my face, waking me all the way in preparation for my quick task. I took off in a controlled sprint back up the mountainside. My breath puffed in small bursts and wisped away. _

_The trees started to thin away around me and then thicken as I weaved back to the place where I had found her days ago. Chance had brought us back together…I had been in the right place at the right time. I was nearby when I heard the landslide, and I figured that if there were people in it, I could make a few bucks from what they would have on them. I ended up finding something better. _

_Finally I reached the small site and stopped abruptly; my legs tightened against the cold and I grinned; this place was great for training. _

_Most of the road above had tumbled down, but I could still make out a small part of the road remaining up top. Down were I stood was a frikkin mess…how she had survived the fall, I'll never know. _

_I stepped up to the spot where I had found her and looked around me cautiously- there was still no sign of anyone who was looking for her, but I wasn't taking any chances. _

_I had to find it. She had mentioned it in her sleep, and when I looked through what she had, I didn't find it with her. I didn't really understand why I wanted to find it so bad, but I began not to care._

_I unsheathed my sword and used it to push away clumps of snow and rubble. At first all I found were puffs of fur from the coat she had been wearing, but after a few minutes I found what I had risked getting caught for. _

_I picked up the small pink aikuchi I had given her all those years ago. I smirked at how clean and pampered it looked; unsheathing it, I could see my rough reflection in the polished steel. As I sheathed it, something else caught my eye- hanging by the string on the clip was a large clump of decorations. There was a dog, a long strand of six-sided dice, and last but not least, a cracked skull. I picked the unusually grim object out from the other trinkets and studied it carefully. Just as I thought, there was a crucifix in one of the eyes. _

_I sighed, slightly annoyed, and looked around again. I thought I had heard something close by, but it was probably just my nerves. _

_The little skull could be a _big _problem where we were going. That, and there was still the threat of people coming out to find here. _

_Without really thinking about it, I plucked the small charm from its string and dropped it into the snow below. I tucked the aikuchi away into my pocket of my heavy ghee and sprinted back to the cave. I had made sure to not make many tracks, jumping from stone to stone if I could, and the snow would fill in any tracks I had made in it. _

_I didn't look back once as I heard people moving close behind. _

XXX

I slipped in and out of a deep sleep for what seemed like forever. When I was awake, Mugen would care for me, feeding me and making me medicine. I was surprised at his gentle gestures and how much he knew about treating wounds. I felt ashamed to have ever thought badly of him after how he treated me.

My arm began to feel stiff, but it was better than being in pain. I realized that I hadn't actually been told why my arm was in the cast to begin with, having been too overwhelmed by the company of my old captor to ask. I became a little worried.

I found myself disappointed that Mugen did not talk to me very much while I was awake. The only things he really said were commands such as "Sit up" or "Drink this". I will admit that it broke my heart a little. After all, we had not seen each other in so long, and yet there was nothing he seemed to want to say.

I woke up finally after a long nap and looked around. I felt refreshed and full of energy, sitting up and grunting against my splint. The pain that raced up my arm swept away any energy I had had and I sighed.

My eyes drifted around the cave until I was drawn to one of the walls of the cave by loud snoring. He was propped up against the rock, completely passed out and splayed out on the floor. His head was back and his mouth wide open, drool beginning to dribble out of the corner. My spirits lifted and my pain was forgotten. I tried to stifle a giggle but it was no use; with a snort he snapped awake and glared over at me.

"You're finally awake," he grunted, pulling himself back together and popping his neck.

I narrowed my eyes dangerously. "You were asleep too, y'know, so get off my case."

"Only 'cause you were out for so long. I got bored," he argued.

I knew this could turn into something more intense that it needed to be, so I quickly changed the subject. "Why'd you put this splint on me? Is my arm broken?" I unconsciously scrunched up a mighty handful of furry coat in my good hand waiting for his answer.

He shook his head," Naw, it ain't broke, but you sure did smack the shit outta it." I relaxed slightly. "You still won't be able to use it for at least another week or two."

I nodded in a slight daze and held my arm to my chest. I watched him closely as he began to throw food together and finally place it before me. Afterwards he began to pack everything else up and I felt a cross between worry and curiosity fill me.

"What are you doing?"

"Packing."

I eyed him closely, "Why?"

He turned and looked at me impatiently. "Because we're leaving." He rolled his eyes and went back to packing.

I sat quietly, slightly dumbfounded, until he pulled my fur coat off of me. "Hey!"

"Then hurry and get your ass up!"

I scrambled to my feet, grunting as my arm twinged in pain. Mugen's head snapped in my direction and I saw how his eyes softened. Any anger that had started to collect within me evaporated immediately and I felt my cheeks grow warm.

"I'm okay…"

He grunted, his eyes going over me one more time, and started to pack again. I tried to help as much as I could, moving few bags we had together in one area and rolling up the mat-like cushion that had been underneath me while I slept. There wasn't much I could do, and I felt embarrassed.

When everything was packed, he took the ashes from the fire in a pail and dumped them over the side of the cliffs nearby. I watched him clean out the pail with snow from the entrance of the cave, the coat pulled up to my chin. He came back in the cave and placed some of the smaller bags inside.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"Gets rid of our trail."

"Is someone following us?" I jolted.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it." Before he packed away more bags, he pulled out some tabi and handed them to me. "Here. So your feet won't freeze."

I nodded, putting the worry of people nearby behind me. If there was something to worry about, Mugen would not have been this calm. I figured he was moving us because of them.

I took the tabi and put them on as Mugen finished with everything else. It took forever to put on the thick socks, but when I did, my feet felt much more comfortable and warm.

Mugen gave me the small pail from before and as I took it, he slung everything else over his back. He carried them effortlessly, but I knew they had to be heavy. He strode outside of the cave, looked around, and waved for me to follow. I began to obey, but something suddenly dawned on me and I froze. It took all my strength in my body not to break down right then and there.

I was with him again. All those years I had yearned to see him again, be here in "his" mountains with him, be that other person again…All the emotions I had bottled up inside me had seemed like a fool's hope, but now I was here, and he was here with me. I had never felt so refreshed before in my life. It was a new start…a new life.

"You comin', or what?" he said loudly, and it startled me to my senses. I took a deep breath, smiled, and nodded. I ran up next to him and we started off.

It was bitterly cold outside, but I hardly noticed. The sun reflected off the snow on the ground like little diamonds- it was so beautiful that I felt bad stepping on them.

My fast-beating hearts also made it hard to feel the cold. I found it hard to look at him next to me for some reason. Being this close to him was wonderful and I bathed in the sensation.

We walked long into the afternoon, rarely taking breaks, even to eat. My feet ached from all the walking, but at least they were warm. Mugen stayed in front of me towards the later parts of the day, his tall getas acting like snowshoes and his thick ghee protecting him from the fierce winds. With his body in front of me, I didn't feel as much of the wind and stayed slightly warmer.

As the sun began to set and the sky changed colors, I saw signs of life nearby. Just past the mountainside we were walking on, I could see the tops of houses and large buildings.

Mugen quickened our pace as we neared the buildings and helped me down a slope to a small path towards civilization. There was a broken front gate at the end of the path, marking the entrance to a run-down village. As we passed underneath, I saw several people out in the street. They looked rough and turned to watch us as we went by. I moved close to Mugen, who had come to my side, and cast my eyes down to my feet.

After we moved away from the rough patch of people, I looked back up, gazing around us at the tiny village around us. There were a few vendors selling more people food and clothing, and a man with a basket of fish walked past us to enter one of the stores. More people came by the further we went in. As we waked, I noticed that there weren't many women or children. Most of the women I saw were prostitutes, hanging out of the windows of the brothels trying to get customers. The few children clung to a small group of women who looked almost as rough as the men.

I felt many eyes on me specifically as we walked, and I tried to hide my discomfort. I looked up at Mugen only with my eyes to see him glaring at a large group of much younger men. They had been some of the ones looking at me, but when he glared at them, they quickly returned to their own conversation.

Finally we turned off the main road onto a smaller street, winding up the small side of the mountain to a clutter of homes. There was a bigger house separated from the others and I knew somehow that it was his. Sure enough, when the path split into another, twisting up towards the big house, Mugen turned with it and strode towards it.

We reached the front yard and he turned his head. "What do you think?"

I gaped at the well-kept house before me. "It's amazing!"

The house was a one-story house, but was absolutely huge. It sat on top of a steep hill and the path that we had taken continued on up into the mountains. I guessed that there were at least four extra rooms beside the master bedroom. Behind it I could see the side of the washhouse and a well, along with a back porch. I took a few steps to the side to see more of the yard. There was a rock garden and several fancy trees, complete with a pond. I smiled excitedly and Mugen grinned. "Wait 'til you see the inside."

He led me to the very front door. We took off our shoes and stepped up into the house, and right away I smelled sake and some sort of perfume with a faint smoke behind it. The porch area we had just come from was partially closed off from the rest of the house with a set of double doors, but he had left them open to reveal a beautiful living room with a large table and fancy pillows around it. I noticed how they were slightly ruffled as though they had been sat on, and some were arranged as though one had been asleep on them.

He took the bags I had been carrying and I slipped off my coat to explore the wonderful interior. It was a little messy inside, but not as bad as I thought that it would be. There was a huge kitchen area that almost took up the entire left part of the house. I found that there were in fact five rooms beside the master bedroom.

I was surprised to see a Buddha statue in one of the walls, but it was dusty and the incense in the holder had not been lit.

I made my way back to the main part of the house and saw him standing there with his hands in his pockets. There was a smug smile on his face. "Nice, huh?"

"How can you afford all this?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Sold some crap from the temple, worked a few odd jobs here and there…"

I turned away from him to look around the house again. "This is amazing…"

I felt his eyes on me and gulped. I shyly looked back at him. "Where are we, anyway?"

The smile remained, but it seemed strained all of sudden. "An outlaw town. Everyone here's wanted. The cops don't know we're here, 'cause nobody snitches. If somebody does, everybody's screwed."

I made sense to me, but seemed unnecessary and dangerous. I quickly forgot about it due to my excitement and amazement at the house. Mugen's voice brought me back only momentarily.

"…room?"

"Huh?" I shook my head to clear it.

"Did you pick out a room?" he asked again, raising an eyebrow.

"No…" I said, starting off to do so when I stopped and met his eyes. "How do you know I'm going to stay and that I would even come with you?"

"You were climbing up a mountain with my old temple on it. I'm not as dumb as you think." He rolled his eyes, but I saw for a split second a flash of genuine happiness in them. It was hard for me to wrap my head around, especially since it had been from someone like him. I knew that I had seen it, and it made me happier than the house around me.

"What were you doing all the way out there?" I asked.

He shrugged. "My gut told me to go there." I detected a slight lie but decided to let it go.

I rubbed the splint unconsciously and asked barely above a whisper, "Why did you save me?"

His eyes twitched and the smile disappeared. His face scrunched in confusion and he looked away from me. A thick silence settled over the house. I'm not entirely sure why I felt the need to ask him of such things at that time. They had been drifting in and out of my mind since I saw him in the cave, and had been two of the things that I had wanted so desperately for him to answer.

"Go pick out your room," he said surprisingly softly- it had sounded as though he had wanted to command me, but couldn't. He did not look up at me, but I could still see how confused he was.

I obeyed without a word, walking quickly down the opposite hallway from where I had just come from. I saw that most of the bedrooms were here, but not the master bedroom; it was at the end of the other hallway next to the kitchen. I knew that this was Mugen's room and had not looked inside.

Finally, at the very end of the hall, I found the perfect room. It had a huge closet and plenty of space, but that wasn't why I chose it.

It was the view of the ocean from the window.

Past the mountains and trees was a beautiful view of the shore and the rocks in the deeper areas of the water. I could barely make out the docks, but I could clearly make out the boats at them and in the water. There were some familiar to me, but some that were not, their sails white and puffy, with strange flags tied to the mast.

I loved the ocean, having seen it and actually been in it only once in my life. Unfortunately, I had gone when I was very small and could not remember much of the trip.

There was a dresser near the window and the futon, and I undid the pack on my back to put some things on it: my brush, some light make-up, various pieces of jewelry, a book, my journal, and finally, the only picture of my mother I had. It was actually a family portrait of when I was younger, painted right after my father was promoted. My mother had me in her lap and in the picture I looked peaceful. She smiled with a strange look in her eye. How much differently things had been then…

I set the painting down and wiped away the tears that had welled in my eyes. I stood quickly and returned to the front room. I had my aikuchi with me, feeling that if we were in a village full of outlaws, it would be necessary.

Mugen stood in the doorway of the double doors. I smiled confidently and told him which room I had chosen.

"Figured you'd choose that one." He stepped down where our shoes were, slipping on his getas. "C'mon."

"What? Where?"

"The store. You'll need groceries so you can cook. I can't, so there's shit in the pantry."

"But…my arm…!" I started, but he cut me off.

"It'll heal pretty quick. In the mean time we can order at the restaurant down the street, but after that, you're makin' me some food."

_A/N: Whew! That was a long chapter! When I wrote it on notebook paper, it didn't seem all that bad, but now, it was a nightmare! XD I had already been planning to answer some of those questions in this chapter, but I managed to slip in a few more here and there. I'm getting better at it, I think. Anyway, please remember to leave a review! They might not seem all that important, but they really are! Until then! _


	5. Chapter 5 Wish That I Didn't Feel

_Hello again! Hope you all are enjoying your summer! I decided that I'm going to post two chapters (almost XD) at once because they're both pretty short. I hope you enjoy! _

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Samurai Champloo or the song this fic is loosely based upon.

Chapter 5- Wish that I didn't feel

When Mugen told me that my arm would heal pretty quickly, I didn't think that he meant it. I imagined it to take much longer than it actually did- I could move it after about a week after reaching his house, and although there was some pain when I moved it, I was still very relieved.

He bought plenty of food that day at the market, and I couldn't help but marvel at how much money he had. He easily had about as much as I had seen my father handle, if not more. I wondered what the rogue could have done to make so much money- perhaps he had stolen it, or maybe he had told the truth when he said that he had worked for it. I asked him only once about it and I was fortunate to get him to say that he had fished. I wasn't sure about it, but at least he had answered me…honestly, I didn't know if I wanted to know the truth of the matter.

I cooked for him when I could move my arm. While I was still living with my father, I had brushed up on my cooking well enough to be able to make an acceptable meal. Mugen ate it, so I guess he liked it.

I stayed inside for what seemed like forever. Mugen didn't like the idea of me going outside. He and I both knew that I could take care of myself, even fight if I needed to, but he still would not change his mind. We fought everyday for a week, and it was exhausting. Part of me was secretly happy though. During one of our fights, he said that he didn't want me to go out because I could get hurt, which meant he cared about me. He was just trying to protect me, and after I realized this, I couldn't stay mad at him. Finally, I asked him if he would come with me; he looked a little confused at first, but then he huffed and said he would if I stopped pestering him.

We went out the next day, and I was very excited. I needed more clothes desperately; I had not dared to ask Mugen to go and get some things for me after what he had done last time.

He stayed close to me as we walked, and I had expected nothing less. I saw that he had brought his sword with him, reminding me of the aikuchi he had given to me. During the landslide, I had lost it. The day after he found me, he went out and found it, though one of my charms had fallen off. I hugged the small knife to my chest and remembered the name I had given it: Koume, or little plum blossom.

It was a little more difficult to find kimonos than I had expected, but that meant more time that I got to spend with Mugen. When we did find someone with kimonos, I was disappointed to find them extremely expensive. The rogue simply shrugged and told me to get any that I wanted; I was taken aback by his sudden kindness and I couldn't move for what seemed forever.

I modeled the ones for him that I liked, and although he tried to act like he didn't care, I could feel his eyes on me when I had my back turned towards him. We soon left afterwards for lunch and I ate like there was no tomorrow. The food was surprisingly good for how dingy the restaurant was, and I felt awful for thinking so critically. I was not about to revert back into my old ways.

When we finished, Mugen went to pay to bill and I looked around as I waited for him to return. An old man sitting just behind us got up to leave; as he did he left a newspaper-like pamphlet behind. I quickly got up, grabbing the paper and starting after him.

"Sir, you left your…" I stared at the front page in disbelief.

My own eyes stared back at me from the paper. There was a picture of me along with a long paragraph. There were large words that chilled me to the bone: _"__**Kasumi Seizo's daughter declared dead**__"_

I read on, not caring if I was standing in the doorway and people were bumping in to me.

"_**Kasumi Fuu, daughter of Kasumi Seizo, had been declared dead after nearly a month of searching for her. Police say that the only thing that had been found from her was a small skull bead near where there had just been a mountainside landslide, along with tufts of animal hair. When Kasumi-dono was shown the bead, he confirmed that he had given it to her for an aikuchi…"**_

My whole body was shaking and my arms dropped, the paper drifting to the floor. I somehow knew he had done it and anger and hurt coursed through my veins. I had thought nothing of it when he told me that it wasn't there when he found my knife.

My skin felt numb, but I could still feel him as he came up behind me. "What's up with you?" he asked.

Even though I was furious, my voice was barely above a whisper. "They think I'm dead."

He raised an eyebrow and leaned closer. "What? Speak up."

I whirled around, my fists clenched and whole body shaking. "THEY... THINK…I'M.... _**DEAD**_!!!" I gulped in air after I had screamed. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at us and it was dead silent.

He didn't seem to care. "Who?"

"Everyone! My father, the police, everybody! What the hell did you do?" I yelled.

His brow furrowed and then lowered into an annoyed expression. "I left 'em something so they wouldn't come look for you."

"Look for me? LOOK FOR ME?!?" I screamed, throwing my arms up and almost smacking someone in the face. "They think I'm dead!"

He smirked. "Well now they won't try and take you back. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Not like this! I didn't want to be dead to my father!" Hot tears began to fall, but I didn't feel them.

His face hardened and he met my eyes dangerously. "It's better this way. You don't want to go back, do you?"

I couldn't answer him for some reason and looked away from his piercing gaze.

He spoke with a flat tone, but it felt crueler than any insult that he had ever said. "Then you are dead to him."

My eyes widened and my breath stopped. Was it true? When I ran away, did I die?

Everything around me swayed and I felt sick. I felt horribly vulnerable in that place in front of him and before all the strange people, and I wanted nothing more than to get away. I ran faster than I ever had in my entire life out of the little building. Mugen did not call after me; if he had, I probably would not have heard him.

_A/N: That was quite an emotional chapter! Hope you liked it! Sorry I'm not too talkative this time- I'm typing at like, 2 in the morning and I'm really, REALLY tired XD I just really wanted to type! Well, see you all next time! Please remember to leave a review, and good night, er, morning! LOL _


	6. Chapter 6 To Make You Feel Like That

_Good to see you all again! As I said before, I'm updating two chapters this time because they're both kinda short. This chapter has a little something special in it! (winks) I hope you all enjoy! Review please!_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai Champloo or the song this fic is based loosely upon.

Chapter 6- To Make You Feel Like That

_My brothers and I and were in need of something…something that cannot be quenched by any liquid or satisfied by any food. _

_It was revenge. Revenge on the man that has caused my brothers and I so much pain. My poor younger brother had gone insane, the thought of killing the man the only thing that gives him a reason to continue living. My older brother was bound to a wheelchair and did not respond to the world around him. As for me…I suppose that I too went mad and retreated from the world. How fitting for the middle child to be in between sanity and insanity._

_I came back to reality, realizing that little Denkibo was tugging on my sleeve. _

"_Big brother, look what Tobei and I found!" _

_Even though I knew that our older brother could not have really helped him find anything, I humored him and followed him to where Tobei was. In the almost-dead hands was a crumpled paper of some sort. I took it and skimmed lightly; I felt hope beginning to bring me back to sanity. _

_It was about that girl from a few years ago- the one He had captured- and how she had been declared dead. As I read on, I began to laugh._

"_Those idiots! It's clearly a trick! Honestly, a bead?" I laughed loudly and Denkibo looked very confused. I stopped and ran my eyes over the paper one more time. "If he would capture her before at her own home, he would do it again out here in the wilderness. Oh well…at least no one will be getting in our way…" I crumpled the paper up in one hand and threw it off the side of the mountain. "That mountain they talked of is near here. There's a little village not far from it, too, one I'm sure he'd think was safe." I squeezed my scythe tightly in my hand to suppress the cackle that threatened to escape. "I know where you are, Mugen…" _

_My younger brother tensed at the name. "Are we close to him, brother? Will I get to kill him soon?" _

_He started to pant heavily at the thought and I chuckled, turning towards the snowy mountains nearby. _

"_Soon…"_

xXx

I stood shakily in the front yard, my fists clenched and shaking at my side. The wind had picked up, cold and unforgiving, matching the feelings raging inside me in a strange way. I couldn't move my body at all; the only thing that moved was the stream of tears. They fell and froze to the stone of the walkway below.

I had run straight here from the restaurant, but instead of going in, I had stopped dead in my tracks just before the entrance. At first I had had the urge to go and pack my things, but I couldn't do that. Not now, when things were set up like they were and I had come this far.

I coughed a little, finally moving to wipe away my tears. I rubbed my arms and sniffled. I was still enraged by what he had done- the bead had been precious to me, one of the few things I had that my father had given to me. What bothered me most about his actions was the possibility that he was right. Was this truly what I needed to do?

As if on cue, I heard getas hitting stone until they stopped just behind me. When he spoke, he sounded slightly annoyed.

"Brought your crap with me."

I didn't answer and he walked past me. He put my things up on the wood of the porch and shoved his hands in his pockets. He casually looked around, pretending not to have any interest in me. Finally he cast a glance over at me only to find that I was already glaring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"You didn't have to do that. There were other things you could have done."

"Like what?" he challenged, stepping closer to me as if to emphasize.

He stopped me with that one, but I was not about to let him know that he had. "You're the criminal and master of escape. Why couldn't you think of something better? Did you even think of how I would feel about this?"

I thought I knew what his answer would be.

"Free."

My brow furrowed. "What?"

"You'd finally be free. It's like you said before- nobody to tell you how to live your life and all that other crap. Isn't that what you wanted?"

My cheeks reddened. "You don't know what I want," I said coldly. A strange gleam appeared in his eyes. I recognized it, but I couldn't place exactly from where. He looked almost as though he might hurt me, but I also remembered the instant when he had held my mouth over his that day in the temple. I wasn't sure which look he was giving me and backed away several steps only to see him come quickly towards me. "Don't you come near me!" I warned, but he ignored me.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" I screamed, swinging my arm to try and hit him or push him away.

He caught my hand easily and held it, both of us freezing. I felt afraid of him suddenly, and yet could not pull away.

When he pulled me towards him I didn't protest.

And when his lips came crashing down on mine, I didn't protest either.

I was very surprised and my anger melted away quickly. He suddenly backed away from me, and I tried to hide the blush that had taken hold of my entire face. I could only look down at my feet and mumble, "Mugen…I'm cold…"

He was silent, almost as though he was disappointed, but grunted, "C'mon."

We walked inside, our argument left out in the snow. I had completely forgotten why I was angry with him. As I went back to my room to unpack what had been bought earlier in the day, I did not notice that it had begun to snow again.

_A/N Whew…there ya go- A nice little treat! (giggles) I hope you all enjoyed! Also, I'm slipping in some more characters from the show! They happen to be some of my favorite bad guys from the series. I love the episodes that they're in! (squees) Can you guess who they are? Well, until then! Review please! _


	7. Chapter 7 All I Need

_A/N Whew! It's been a little while, hasn't it? Hope you all have been doing well, and not getting into too much trouble (winks) I went on a little bit of a vacation myself, but I had also taken a bit of a break because I was kind of discouraged. I haven't gotten many reviews, or views for that matter, and it upset me a little. I've decided though to not let that get to me- the reviews I have gotten have been helpful and awesome, so thank you guys. I'm gonna write this for the people who are reading, and also for myself, because I honestly like this fic a lot and think people should give it a chance. If not, too bad. Well, I think I've chatted enough- on with the show!!!_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai Champloo, any of the characters, or the song this fic is based loosely upon

Chapter 7- All I Need

_This little village was really pissing me off. Everyone here thought they were safe from the law and that they could live their pathetic little lives as they saw fit. Worst of all, that bastard thought that he was one of them. It made me hunger more for revenge...the sweet smell of blood and that feeling of acomplishment..._

_Gods...I could feel myself slipping farther and farther into insanity. Soon I would be just like my little brother. My scythe begged for a life, whether it was mine or the one we sought. Our arrival at this little shit-hole was making our lives so much better though- we were now so close I could nearly smell him. _

_We looked around, trying not to draw too much attention to ourselves. It was becomming a little difficult since Denkibo knew we were close, his short, hunched figure trembling and twitching and with his muttering and whimpering. I scowled at him as he picked up his old haibit of chewing on his hand, something he only did when he was excited. _

_"Denkibo!" I snapped. _

_He jumped and looked up at me, his hand still locked between his jaws. _

_I stopped myself from yelling at him, pity for my poor brother overtaking me. "Go look around." _

_His hand finally dropped to his side. "For him? Do I get to kill him yet? Oh, please let me kill him, Big Brother! I want to kill him so bad!" _

_"No. If you find him, come right back to us. Then, when the three of us face him, you can kill him." _

_He seemed disappointed and mumbled some more, but he scampered off and I knew he would obey. _

_I smirked, looking back at my big brother, and felt my hopes rise. _

_Now it was just a matter of time. _

xXx

The next morning I awoke to find that Mugen was gone. I changed into one of my new kimonos and made myself some breakfast. While I did, I figured with him gone, I could go out by myself for a little bit. I needed to get out of the house desperately.

I skipped back to my room to put on a warmer kimono and to get my purse and aikuchi; it was a must for a place like this, and I was a little unnnerved to have to have it with me. Soon I was walking down the walkway to the busy street of the village. I immediately felt refreshed, even if it was a little chilly, and sighed in content.

The snow from the day before made the street a little slippery, but I enjoyed the crunch my feet made in the white crystals. Some shopkeepers had shoveled it away from the doorways of their shops, and it depressed me a little that they had.

While I looked around the open market for items for dinner, I noticed a strange man looking at me from across the street. He had an eye-patch over one of his eyes, and his other eye was dark and intense. There was something about him that I didn't like at all, but I tried to ignore him and went back to the vegetables and fruit in front of me. I could still feel his eyes on me, but when I looked up, he was gone. I shuddered and left the stand emptyhanded.

I ducked into the bookstore in search of new reading material, but found something else that I found that I needed. I bought some paper, some ink, and a brush to write with, unsure of why I needed them.

Afterwards I continued to look around the little markets for several hours. While I shopped, I became a little homesick- I'm not sure why I did, since this place looked nothing like my old home. I pushed aside those feelings for the time being. This wasn't the place or the time for such things.

While I shopped I saw a beautiful comb for sale. It was a beautiful ivory comb with pink lacquered flowers and a string of pink cloth flowerpetals hanging down. When I saw it, I thought of two people: Mugen- since I wondered what he would think of me if I wore it- and my mother. I don't know why I thought of her. I guess it's because it matched the kimono she had given me, and also because it seemed like something she would have worn.

I would have bought it, had it not been for the soft voice saying my name.

"Fuu-chan..." I recognized the calm voice immediately, but the surpirse laced lightly into those two syllables was unfamiliar.

I turned around and smiled shyly. "Jin...hi."

His eyebrows were raised slightly, but his face was soft and warm. He was wearing a winter kimono like I was, but still wore the wire-framed glasses. I always found them to be a little ridiculous, but I welcomed what had become his image. I was startled to see a pack with him and pointed to it. "What's that for?"

His eyes darted to it, then to the people around us and finally back to me. He sighed, "Perhaps it would be easier to explain if we were somewhere a little more private."

I knew he also meant less dangerous, but smiled and pointed to a teahouse like I didn't know what was going on. We slipped into a table away from other people and ordered small bits of food and some tea, eating in silence when it got there. As we drank what was left of our tea, he resumed the conversation.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? The last I heard, you were suppossed to be..."

"Dead?" I rolled my eyes. "Long story." I sipped my tea nonchalantly, trying to pass off the whole situation as an everyday occurance. "I just decided that it was time to leave, that's all. There was a bit of a misunderstanding as far as that goes. I can't really get into it."

"Mmm..." he sighed. Silence fell over us again, the only sounds coming from the kitchen and other people sitting inside.

All of a sudden, we both started talking, our words jumbling together. I blushed brightly. "I'm sorry! Go ahead."

He shook his head and didn't say a word. Since he was letting me go first, I continued to try and steer the conversation away from what I knew he wanted to talk about.

"So what's that bag for?" I pointed to the bag that had been on his back only minutes before. "Are you going somewhere?" I eyed him dangerously as a thought crossed my mind. "You weren't...looking for me, were you?"

"No," he said flatly, and for some reason, I felt a little disappointed. "But I am looking for someone."

I grinned devilishly. "Old girlfriend?"  
"You could say that. I haven't seen her in quite some time."

My eyes widened- I had only been kidding, but he seemed completely serious!

"Well, I hope you find her, " I said sincerely, and also to make up for being nosy. "But what about work? Does my father know you're here?"

He nodded. " I left his services not too long ago. As a matter of fact, it was just a few days after you had been..." He cleared his throat and fell silent.

I looked away from him and stared the empty tea glass in my hand.

"Are you with him?"

I snapped my head up to look back at him. "What?"

"That man from before- are you with him again?" His dark eyes bore into mine, searching for the answer I could not give. When I didn't answer, he sighed through his nose and I turned my head away.

That awful silence fell over us again and I had the sudden urge to get away from that place. I didn't want to be around Jin anymore, and I knew when he spoke again, he would say something I wouldn't want to hear.

As I predicted, he said, "I think you should go back, Fuu-chan."

We were where we both knew we would end up. It was the topic we had both tried to avoid, and yet knew that we would come back to it eventually.

Rage began to build up inside me and I held it back as best I could. "No."

"This place is dangerous. You could get hurt, or worse."

I scoffed. "Too late for that."

He looked into my eyes sternly. "You know what I mean."

I looked back into his with equal intensity. "I'm not going back."

"You are throwing your life away for nothing," he said, sounding more angry than stern.

"It's my life. I had nothing that _I _wanted. This is what _I _want," I argued.

"Do you love him?"

I found myself unprepared for such a question, and I lost a bit of my edge against him. I craftily whipped back with " Do you love her?" His eyebrow twitched and I smirked, only to feel slight guilt afterwards.

"That has nothing to do with the conversation."

"Then why'd you ask?" I snapped. "So what if I did? It's none of your business, anyway..."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you," He said softly, and the anger I felt melted away.

My eyes drifted down to my teacup again. "I'll be okay."

We left soon after that, no more words passing between us. I knew this place wasn't his final destination and that we would have to part ways soon. I felt both anguish and relief at the thought, and ended up walking with him to the other end of the village to the exit.

I stopped just under the gate, with him just out from under it. "It...was nice seeing you again." I felt like such a brat saying that to him. Quickly I added on "I really hope you can find her." I smiled when I saw the hope rise in his eyes. My feelings were stirring at that moment, so much I almost felt nauseous.

"Fuu-chan...there's something you should know. Your father..." he paused, and I could see that he was having a hard time putting thought into words. "...he knows you are alive."

That starled me. "What?"

"He had let you go. Kasumi-sama...he knew that you were going back to him. That's why he called off the search for you. The police announced you dead for the public's sake; he doesn't want people to know that...Mugen-san is alive, because people still believe that he is dead."

I nodded, still in shock but listening carefully to him.

He put a hand on my shoulder, and I found the gesture welcoming. "If you do not wish to return, at least let him know you are well. You owe him at least that."

I nodded vigorously, tears clouding my vision. I choked on a sob, and I felt Jin tense. "Are you...?"

I forced a smile." I'm okay. Go ahead, I'll be fine." I wiped my eyes and kissed his cheeks softly, and he turned and walked away. I called out his name suddenly, and when he turned back to me, I bowed. "Thank you."

When he walked away again, I did the same- when I was sure he couldn't see me anymore, I broke out into a run. The cold winter air stung my hot, tear-stained cheeks, soothing and painful at the same time. I ran all the way back the house, and thankfully I didn't fall or trip on the way there. I don't remember the run there, whether people looked at me, or if people said things to me. I made it to the walkway before my foot snagged on something, the sudden jerk making me stop and come back to my senses.

I stood there and let myself cry and catch my breath. My heart stung and beat hard against my chest. It reminded me of the pain I felt the day my mother died.

I collected myself as best I could and walked slowly up the rest of the way to the house. It didn't occur to me that Mugen could have been back by now, and didn't until it was too late.

As I reached the front yard, I saw Mugen waiting outside, and it seemed that he was looking for me. I saw how the anger melted away from his face to what almost looked like worry, and he bounded over to me.

"What the hell, Fuu? Why are you...?" He took my face in his hands and brought it up so he could look at me. "Did someone hurt you?"

I shook my head, and the tension in his hands lessened.

"What's the matter, then?" He tried to take his hands back, but I suddenly took them and wrapped them around me, burying my face into the cloth of his ghee.

"Just...stay like this for a while, ok?" I smiled.

His whole body stiffened, but he didn't push me away.

"...okay..."

_A/N Awwww, how fluffy! LOL Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I was really proud of myself with this chapter- there's a lot of dialogue, but it doesn't ramble on. I'm getting better! I'll try to update as much as I can- there's a lot of stuff I've been doing lately, so I don't know how much I'll be able to type. (It's times like these I'm thankful that I write everything down beforehand XD) Until then! Review please!!! _


	8. Chapter 8 Something I Missed

_Hello, all! I'm trying to keep my word and update more often. Thanks for all your lovely reviews! I didn't even realize that I had put fluff at the end of the last chapter, and when a few of you thanked me for it, I was quite tickled XD. Anyway, there's only a few chapters left of this fic. I need to start writing longer fics! LOL On with the show!_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai Champloo, the characters, or the song this fic is based loosely upon.

Chapter 8- Something I Missed

_I saw the woman...the woman from that flyer...and when I followed her, I saw _him._ My blood boiled and froze at the same time as my heartbeat picked up, and I had to bite my hand to restrain myself. I wanted to kill him _so _bad, but Big Brother told me to wait. _

_I had to bite down harder on my hand to the point where there was blood as the temptation grew. I whimpered and shifted up in the branch of the trees I had climbed into, watching him and the woman go into a house. I memorized where it was, checking and calculating how far it was from the village where Brother was. _

_It wasn't far, and I knew my brother would be proud of me. I scampered back to him quickly and told him where I had found our enemy._

_He smirked and said, "Good work, Denkibo." He turned toward the direction I had come from. "Let's go pay our friend a little visit."_

xXx

A strange calm had settled over the house, dulling the noise from outside and relaxing my tense nerves. I sighed and rolled over in my futon, rubbing my tender eyes. They were puffy and dry from all the crying I had done the day before, but I didn't really mind. It was thanks to my tears that Mugen and I hadn't gotten into an argument, and more importantly, that he and I had shared such a close moment with each other.

I blushed a little and pulled myself up from underneath my comfortable covers. I changed clothes and went to go to the kitchen; when I opened my bedroom door, a small piece of paper fluttered down to the floor. I picked it up and discovered that it was a note from Mugen, his handwriting sloppy but readable.

"Don't go out today.

Be back with dinner."

I sighed and tossed the note aside with taste, thinking grumpily 'He sure does know how to ruin a moment...'

I shuffled to the kitchen for my breakfast, and when I looked out the window, I sighed in disgust. A thick layer of snow had covered the ground and previous sheets, making a layer of about two feet. I wouldn't have been able to leave the house anyway...

A deep feeling of loneliness swept over me. I had come to be with him again, and yet we were never really together. Here I was, alone and now snowed-in.

I groaned, the sound echoing throughout the rest of the empty house. I walked back to my room without anything in my stomach and plopped down before the window. I opened it and cold air swirled in, my arms breaking out in goosebumps. It wasn't all that cold outside, but the snow was ridiculously deep. I gazed out, mesmerized by the amazing view; I still couldn't get over how _wonderful _everything looked from up there.

My thoughts drifted back to the temple and how I used to be able to see my city from the window of the room I occupied there. I was surprised that I didn't feel homesick, sighing in almost a hurt way.

Things truly felt like they were over. I had somehow accepted and adapted to life here, which meant that I was truly on my own. I was no longer that person I had been for so many years of my life. My father had let me go, and Mugen had accepted me into his life again.

I suddenly remembered the paper and supplies I had bought the day before and Jin's words: "_...at least let him know you are well..." _

I sighed and sluggishly moved to the desk where I had placed and nearly forgotten the paper. I opened the drawer and took out my supplies, setting everything in front of me. I smoothed the paper several times even though it was perfectly fine and nervously fiddled with the brushes and ink. I picked up one of the brushes and traced "Dear Father" with the dry bristles on the paper. I suddenly felt angry and set down my brush.

I got up and away from the desk and went again to the window. I folded my arms over my chest and bit my lip; writing this letter was becoming unpleasant. I couldn't think of anything to say to him- after all this time, was there really anything at all?

There was a part of me that wanted to do as Jin suggested. It was probably born from the guilt from what the ronin had told me. However, there was also a part of me that wanted nothing to do with the idea. It was the part of me that Mugen had helped bring about: the rebel. Unfortunately this was the same part of me that was afraid of my father if I disobeyed- with my misbehavior at home, there had always been severe punishment.

I was worried that if I sent a message, someone would trace it back here and come to take me away. It was highly impossible and illogical, but once the idea was in my mind, I couldn't get it out.

I shook my head and left my room, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. The snow had stopped and the sun had come out, making the temperature rise to slightly kinder temperatures. I pulled a ghee over my shoulders and some tabi with my sandals and stepped outside, my breath puffing up in front of my face. I felt refreshed and walked out in the snow a little more, the soft crunch a welcome sound.

The wind picked up just enough to flap the ghee and I shivered, tightening my hold on the material and wraping it more around me. When I did, I realized that I was wearing one of Mugen's ghee. I could smell his deep scent and smiled, breathing it in appreciatively.

I felt a sudden burst of energy and, giggling, began to play in the snow. I found myself singing songs about the snow, as though I was a child. I thought about all the times my mother and I would spend time together out in the snow, playing and singing, even making our own songs together.

I stopped and tried to remember the songs my mother and I had come up with. It was slightly depressing, but also oddly comforting to be doing such childish things again.

"_This is my December...this is my time of the year...This is my December, this is all so clear..." _I continued on with my rhyme, but I was no longer playing. Instead, I walked slowly around the house and through the backyard, exploring the area I had not been to before.

During my explorations, I wished that Mugen was there with me. I knew he would probably be teasing me about acting like such a child, but I missed him...

No sooner had I thought this, I heard footsteps in the snow on the other side of the house. I grinned and ran back into the house, throwing off my ghee and sandals and the tabi. I hurried to the front door, giddily opeing the doors and greeting merrily, "Welcome h-"

I stopped mid-sentence and gawked at the three men standing before me; actually, two stood, and one sat in a wheelchair and just stared off into space. The smaller of the two standing was hunched over and he stared wide-eyed at me, his breathing raspy.

The third man sent a shiver up my spine as I recognized him from that day in the market. I realized that I was in trouble and stepped backwards into the house, my small frame trembling. The third man wagged a finger at me and raised a scythe I hadn't noticed at first, almost to stop me.

"Now, now, don't be rude to your guests. Be a dear and show us where Mugen is?"

xXx

_It was way past dinner by the time I got back to the house, the sun just behind the roof. Fishing had taken up most of my time, especially since I had to get more than usual. Normally with two people, you wouldn't need that much extra fish, but the girl I was sharing dinner with could eat more than me, and then some. _

_On my way back originally, I had noticed something in one of the shops. I don't know why I bought it; when I saw it, I thought of her. I had never had anybody to spend money on besides myself, and the only money I had ever used for a girl had been for a whore. She was different- the thought of makin' her smile made my chest swell and made me feel good. _

_I gripped the delicate comb in my hand and shifted the basket with my fish inside to a more comfortable hold. 'She better like it after all that dough I just spent...' I thought to myself, snorting and walking faster up the slight hill. _

_As I got closer to the house, I started to feel uneasy. Something was wrong here...I could feel it in my gut. I picked up my pace to a trot and cleared the hill onto the front yard. Nothing looked wrong, but then I noticed how quiet it was. _

_Just as I absorbed that bit of information, some dude poked his head up from on top of the house. He saw me and started freakin' out, biting his hand and mumbling. I scowled, "Who're you?" _

_He didn't answer me and instead jumped down to the ground. I set the basket on the ground, pocketing the comb and resting my hand on the handle of my sword. The guy started walking towards me, mumbling some more. This time I was able to pick out some of what he was saying and I growled. _

_"Big Brother...he's right here...that girl said he wasn't, but he is..."_

_I unsheathed my sword; I had a sudden understanding of what was going on and I was startin' to get pissed. "Where's the girl?" I demanded. _

_The freak ignored my question and finally stopped chewing on his hand. It dropped to his side and slid behind his back, where I could see a real freaky lookin' sword. I noted that he also had retractable blades on his left hand. _

_He stepped closer and did what almost looked like a smile. "Big Brother said not to kill him...but I...I want to so bad! I...I can't help it!" He shrieked and lunged toward me, swinging the sword at me followed closely by a swipe of the claws on his hand. I cursed and flipped backwards; instead of hitting me, he instead hit my basket of fish, sending all my peices of hard work sailing into the air. _

_I snarled, "Oh, now I'm pissed!" _

_I tried to hit him with a sweep of my feet, but the little bastard was too fast. I swiped at him with my sword again and again, but nothing hit him. To make things worse, he cackled at me everytime I missed. I was getting frustrated and making myself an easier target. He seemed to know that, and kept doing things to mess me up. _

_I was brought back to my senses as a red-hot pain exploded across the right side of my face. I hissed as his claws slashed through my skin, hot blood spurting out and running down my face. In almost an instant afterwards, his sword gouged into my hand. There was a second of unbelievable pain, but as the realization that he was in my range hit me, I automatically ignored any and all discomfort. I couldn't afford to be preoccupied with anything, or I was done- this guy was fuckin' nuts and would kill me in an instant if I wasn't careful._

_I don't remember shoving my arm with my sword forward. There was sudden, thick resistance, but I snarled and used all my strength to push the sword through until there was nothing more trying to stop the blade. I snapped out of the light trance and we both stopped moving at the same time. His eyes widened, the pink eye bulging uncontrollably, and he looked down at my sword sticking through his chest, going out clear to the other side. His mouth opened a few inches, blood dribbling out, and his eyes clouded over. _

_I pulled my sword out of him, flicking off the blood and sheathing it. His body slumped to the ground with a thud I had grown familiar with_, _and with the sound, my hand and cheeks began pounding with my pulse and screaming at me. The cold air helped numb the pain, and I wiped the blood off my cheek with my uninjured hand. I went to the pump at the back of the house and let cold water run on my wound. While one hand stayed in water, I used my good hand to wash my cheek. The water was damn cold and I shivered, but it numbed the pain and washed away the blood. I tore a strip off of my ghee as a make-shift bandage and wrapped my hand up sloppily. _

_I made my way back to the front and frowned down at the body. I moved it to the cliff and forest below and let it roll down. It was out of my hands now. _

_Something in the snow nearby caught my attention. It looked like there were tracks, one pair of actual feet and two lines that looked like wheel tracks. _

_I didn't like it. These were clearly visible, almost as though whoever left them wanted me to find them. _

_"Shit..." I remarked, one of my hands going into my pocket with the comb inside. I was relieved and amazed to find that it hadn't been damaged in the fight. I walked to a window at the side of the house and yanked it open, hearing something tear but not really caring. I put the comb on something inside- there was no way this thing was getting messed up after I had gone through all the trouble of getting it. _

_I walked back to the tracks and squatted down, studying them more closely. I knew I needed to go after them- there was no doubt in my mind they had taken her as a way to get to me. I knew that it would eventually happen, and it pissed me off more than I expected. _

_It really sucked that these guys had shown up. I wasn't sure why they were after me. The little dude seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. _

_I stood up and, with a long string of curses, followed the tracks._

_A/N: wOOt for blood and gouging! LOL There hasn't been much violence or cursing in this fic up until now XD Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I was really proud of the part where she was trying to write the letter for some reason. The best way I can understand it is that it seemed kinda realistic- does that make sense? LOL I also slipped in the song kinda like I did in the other fic- I hope it wasn't cheesy or anything like that T.T Anyway, that's all for now. Only two more chapters! Until next time, review please!_


	9. Chapter 9 All So Clear

_Well, it's that time of year again! I hope that you all had good holiday! This fic is kinda perfect right now, since it takes place during winter and it snows so much- kinda sets the mood! LOL Thanks for your reviews for my previous chapter! A word of warning for you guys- the next chapter is the last! Enjoy it while you can! XD _

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Samurai Champloo, the characters, or the song this fic is based loosely upon.

Chapter 9- All So Clear

The dull roar was the first thing I heard as I came to, the noise familiar and yet foreign at the same time. It calmed me slightly as consciousness flooded back into my limbs.

I couldn't remember what had happened or what was going on. Everything was dark, and I could hear muffled voices nearby. I tried to shift my arms and legs, but they stayed still and a light pain went up the sides of my arm. Instead of worrying about it, I felt reassured; at least I knew I wasn't dead.

My memory was still hazy and my head had begun to pound. I figured out that my eyes were closed and opened them, blinking furiously at the bright light. My headache exploded and I tried to groan despite my dry mouth.

My memory came rushing back to me in a dizzying blur, images of the two men at the house making my headache worse. My eyes darted around frantically and I was terrified to find that I wasn't home. I was in some sort of run-down building, and I realized that the roar I kept hearing was the ocean. I looked down to my arms and feet and saw them tied to a pole or something similar to it; I looked up past my head and saw that it was instead a cross.

I swallowed uselessly and tried to move my arms and legs again only to have pain course through my limbs.

"I see you're finally awake," someone said. I looked up to see who had spoken to me and scowled.

It was the man with the scythe I had seen earlier. The other man in the wheelchair sat creepily next to him, staring off into the distance.

"There's no use trying to escape. I tied you up myself, and if you did manage to get out of those ropes..." he grinned and a chill went up my spine. "...I'd chop you into teeny tiny pieces."

"Where have you taken me?" I asked coldly, glaring down at him as he stepped closer to me.

He placed the cold steel under my chin and smiled dangerously, ignoring my question. "You had better watch the tone, you little whore. Otherwise I won't wait for dear Mugen to show up."

My eyes widened. "What?"  
"Oh, don't you know?" he said, faking surprise. "You're just the bait to get the guest of honor to come. When he does, we will finally get revenge for what he did to us all those years ago..." He seemed to drift off for a few seconds, then came back to reality. "I sent my dear younger brother to fetch him for us, but if I know Denkibo, he's going to attack him when he lays his beady little eyes on him."

"No!" I shouted, the man's visible eye twitching. "Mugen wouldn't die to someone like that! Besides, he'll know this whole thing is a trap!"

He smiled even more and I hated him for it. "But that's the fun! If Mugen does come here, I'll have you for leverage!"

I gulped. "And if he doesn't?"

His eyes flared with something that I never imagined could be seen in any person's eyes. "Well then...I suppose I'll have to find some other use for you..."

I panicked and began to struggle against the ropes tying me down. This man was insane. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I had to get away from here. He cackled and suddenly hit me against the side of my head with the butt of his scythe. An intense stab of pain that I have never known before then rippled throughout me, starting at the point of impact and moving down the rest of me until it ended in my fingers. I held in the tears and the scream, biting down on my lip until there was blood.

"There is nothing you can do, little girl. Either way you look at it, you are going to die today."

He continued to hit me, sometimes in the stomach, some in the head, and even a few in the ribs. I had never felt so much pain in my entire life. I held in my cries as best I could, trying not to let him get to me or see how weak I was. I had to survive at least until Mugen got there. I prayed for his assault to be over soon- not sure how much more I could take- and also for Mugen to be alright and on his way for me. If anything had happened to him, I would never forgive myself.

Finally the man stopped, panting and smiling with a crazy lust for more of my suffering. "Had enough yet? Don't you wish I would just end your pain already?" He taunted, his eye bulging in it's socket as he waited for my answer.

I lifted my heavy head and spat down on his face. He blinked and gawked in disbelief for a split second, and he wiped his face quickly in disgust.

"You little bitch!" He screamed, hitting me hard in the jaw with the butt again.

I couldn't help but cry out, more in surprise than pain at his sudden surge of power, and clung to the little bit of consciousness I had left. My eyes were swollen and heavy and my head throbbed. He took my jaw in his hand, squeezing it until it hurt and shoving his face into mine. He panted with rage and his breath smelled of rotten meat.

"I should kill you now. I can't wait for Mugen to show up any longer."

I ignored him, my eyes drifting to the entrance of the building. I felt hope numb some of the pain and smiled despite my now bloody lips.

"Sorry buddy...time to give her back now."

I did not notice the tired look on his face or how exhausted his body seemed, drooping in an uncharacteristic way. I was so overjoyed to see him there. When nothing happened after he spoke, I almost thought he had been just a dream, but then the man turned to look at him too.

Mugen stood in the doorway, a light fire glowing in his eyes. When he saw me, battered and bruised but looking straight at him, he seemed to perk up.

"Oh good, you finally showed up," the man said playfully even though his eyes and face were dark. "I was afraid my brother would tear you up before I had a chance to fight you myself."

Mugen smirked. "Oh yeah...about that brother of yours- I just sent his ass to the bottom of the cliffs."

The man's body began shaking and he shrieked, "You bastard!" His strange scythe whipped around and the blade touched my neck, causing me to wince. "My brothers and I spent years searching for you! You ruined our lives that night on the ship! Because you nearly killed my older brother, I was responsible for capturing you after you killed Watanabe-sama and stole the precious cargo we were carrying. I couldn't find you anywhere- I was fired soon afterwards, and Denkibo was released because he was going insane!" His voice became high and almost screechy for a second, then settled back down. I felt the scythe shaking in his hand, and I knew he was shaking from rage. "We lost everything...we had nothing but the vow to take revenge on the man that did this to us!!!"

Mugen did not look impressed by the man's story, nor did he seem to care. He appeared prepared for something, which made me uneasy. With the scythe practically digging into my neck, I prayed that Mugen wouldn't do or say something to upset the maniac beside me.

"And now..." his breathing was ragged as though he was choking. "I'll kill her for what you did to Denkibo."

The scythe pressed down on my neck, ready to slice into me. I stopped breathing fearfully, my heart pounding, and prayed for my life.

"Hold up." Mugen was frowning, making him look tired again. He unsheathed his sword, and the scythe at my neck pressed down into my skin just slightly. "I'll throw away my sword if you let her go. That way, you can wail on me all you want."

The man did not answer, pausing to consider the offer, and instead stepped away from me, his hand still wrapped tightly around the handle of his scythe as though expecting trickery. Mugen eyed him dangerously and suddenly flicked his sword forwards; I lost sight of it for a second and felt something thud into the wood just inches next to me. The blade easily cut through the worn ropes and I felt my bonds loosen and fall to my feet. I slumped forward involuntarily and gathered myself clumsily- my body still ached and I felt as though I weighed several tons. An unbelievable fatigue washed over me and it took every ounce of my strength to keep myself upright.

I panted and looked up at Mugen, who looked at me with almost the exact amount of exhaustion. "Mugen...why?"

"You better get somewhere safe. Go." My legs didn't budge and I felt tears threaten to well up.

"I said GO!!!" he yelled at me, snapping me out of my trance. I turned and ran as far as I could before the scythe's blade whizzed past my head and landed just a few feet away from me- there was a chain attached to the blade, and I guessed that the other end was in the handle. The man tsked and cackled "Don't think that just because Mugen is here that you can run away."

I dived off to the right and hid behind some debris, watching fearfully as he retracted the blade back and pointed it instead at Mugen. "You've gotten soft on us. How pathetic."

The rogue scowled and almost simultaneously the man twirled the scythe again, releasing the chain and sending it flying across the room. Mugen barely had time to move out of the way, and as the chain retracted, it swung around and sliced into the rogue's side. I gasped and covered my eyes as blood spurted into the air and I winced when I heard Mugen growl in pain. The man laughed sadistically and whirled his scythe in circles above his head, throwing it out again and wrapping the chain tightly around Mugen's arm. My comrade tried to pull free, and I saw how he kept trying to inch his way to his sword embedded in the cross.

The man pulled on the chain with a powerful jerk, causing Mugen to topple over. With a sickening crunch, I heard his arm break and choked on a sob. Mugen was getting himself killed all because of me, and there was nothing I could do. It would be my fault if he died...

Anger bubbled up and I stood up from behind my hiding place, screaming "You bastard! Leave him alone!"

It was just enough of a distraction. My outburst startled the man and he turned to look at me angrily, the chain loosening enough for Mugen to escape. He stood and reached for the bottom of his sheath, and my hopes rose. He suddenly tossed the small dagger hidden inside and the man's face flashed fear as he noticed it out of the corner of his eye. My stomach lurched as he simply batted it away with his scythe.

That seemed as though it was just what Mugen wanted him to do. As the man reflected the knife, the rogue ran up suddenly on him and kicked the scythe away, taking his opponent completely by surprise.

The next few minutes were a blur- one minute they were separate beings, the next they were a tangled creature of blood and limbs. Even though his broken arm hung uselessly at his side, Mugen fought with a strength I have never seen come from him. I suppose it was the raw will to to survive that drove him.

The rogue's available three limbs wrapped around the man's body, throwing him up and around almost like a strange somersault and down to the ground painfully. They stood up together, both of them sweaty and dirty. The man's face was scratched and bloody, his nose having been broken from the force of the slam. The eye-patch covering one eye had come partially off and finally fell in tatters, revealing a freakishly large, pink eye. The uncovering of his eye seemed to mirror something inside him- he became twitchy and began to fight more like an animal. They began to fight with their fists, Mugen having to kick instead. The seemed to forget about their discarded weapons for the moment, but when the man's foot bumped into the handle of his blade, he dived after it again.

Mugen kicked it, one foot stomping down on part of the handle to keep it in place and instead send the scythe's blade out across the ground. With a quick flip of his foot, he caught it in his hand and snapped the blade back towards the handle. There was a flash and metallic hum, the blade slicing through something. I saw a large round object fly through the air and the man's body slumped to the ground.

I winced and looked away.

As soon as it had started, it was over. Relieved, I stepped out from where I had been hiding and went to comfort him, but a rumble and a wet splash of red stopped me. Mugen's eyes went wide and blood trickled out from his mouth. I looked down to his abdomen and saw dark red staining his shirt, growing larger by the second.

I turned my gaze to the one responsible. I had forgotten about the man in the wheelchair, figuring him to just be a helpless, sick old man, but he had proved that he was just as dangerous as the other two men. His expression was no longer blank. He was well aware of his surroundings, and in the arm of the chair was the barrel of a gun, still smoking.

"You...sorry son of a..." Mugen studdered; he coughed up a large amount of blood and stumbled sideways, crashing into the cross that had once held me to it. When he fell, I was so afraid I actually forgot how to scream. Red hot anger clouded my vision as I took out Koume and unsheathed it.

I ran towards him, bent on revenge. He turned towards me, the gun ready to shoot. I realized that he would shoot me long before I got close enough to stab him and I tried to stop too late.

There was a roar and I saw an expression on Mugen that I have never seen on any human or beast on this earth. There was such ferocity in his eyes...It was that moment and that moment alone that made me realize why people had been so terrified of him all those years ago.

He snatched his sword effortlessly out of the wood of the cross and flew across the room, the man in the wheelchair only having enough time to look away from me to see the rogue charging at him. He plunged his sword into the torso of the man, receiving several more shots in his body, but he did not stop. He didn't even seem to notice them as they entered his body or the mix of his own and his opponent's blood that splashed up into his face. The man in the wheelchair jerked up, his nails digging into the wood of the chair. Finally, they loosened, and his body slumped. Mugen did not take out the blade but pushed it deeper inside instead.

"Mugen!" I cried, placing my arms on his shoulders to calm him. He looked up suddenly at me, stopping everything else he had been doing. The rage in his eyes dissolved and was replaced with pain and exhaustion, and he collapsed as his body registered all the lack of blood and the amount of lead embedded in him.

I sheathed Koume and held him carefully, analyzing the damage. He was badly hurt; he had walked in to this fight with a ton of wounds already. I found myself overwhelmed and unsure of what to do- should I leave him to go get help, or stay and try and take care of everything here?

All of the blows to my head didn't help. I couldn't concentrate on anything, and the dull throb of the goose-eggs was starting to give me a migraine and make me nauseous.

I looked at how he was breathing heavily and shakily, and how his broken arm bent off to his side. I felt tears fall down my swollen cheeks and pleaded with him. "Mugen, please! Oh gods, please don't die!" I moved him away from the man's corpse and put Mugen's head in my lap. Biting my lip, I decided what was best and I took off his ghee and tore it into strips. There were boards and pieces of wood all around us due to the deterioration of the building. I took two smaller pieces and placed them against his broken arm, tying it with the strips. It was extremely hard to see due to my tears clouding my vision and my hands shook with fear and sorrow. When I had finished the make-shift splint, I used the leftover strips to try and bandage his wounds. There were a few gunshots that had gone all the way through, but the rest were still buried inside his flesh.

I stood and cushioned his head the best I could, collecting his sword and dagger. I took the sheath hanging off his back and slung it around my back and shoulders, sheathing his sword and knife and turning it so that it hugged my chest and my back was free. I propped Mugen against my back, his feet dragging behind us since I couldn't pick him all the way up. I summed up all the strength I had left and began stumbling painfully towards the entrance of the church-like building.

My legs ached after only a few minutes and the rest of my body was screaming at me soon after. My wounds hurt the most, the blood pumping harder throughout my body and causing my migraine to pulse in my head. Nausea swept over me mercilessly and my eyes squinted sensitively against the light.

The ocean wasn't far from the little building. The beach wasn't as large as I originally thought that it was, but there was snow on parts of the sand. I could see a port not too far away, and I wondered if it was the port of the town we lived at. Otherwise, we could be in trouble.

We were slightly downhill and I forced myself to climb up against the slope. I moved much more slowly than before, and my muscles began to shake with strain. Without warning, I fell face-first into the sand. I was beginning to get cold due to the winter wind coming off from the water, and my muscles could not take anymore. I needed to rest and try to calm the ache pounding inside my muscles and skull.

I pushed Mugen off of me, just enough to roll us over, and put his head against my chest and snuggled closer to him. I had to keep him warm; he wasn't wearing anything nearly warm enough, and he could get hypothermia.

Stretching my legs and arms around made them feel a little better, but I was still in an enormous amount of pain. I noted how Mugen was barely breathing and how the blood had soaked through the bandages.

"Please don't die, Mugen..." I sniffed. I buried my fingers into his hair, putting my cheek against his head. I shivered, slowly remembering that I wasn't wearing proper clothing either. For some reason I smiled when I thought that I could die as well.

'At least I'd die with him at my side,' I thought to myself, my body shaking. 'That wouldn't be so bad.'

I sniffed again, trying to ignore the cold. I was really scared. I didn't have the strength to carry him, or even stand up to try and go find help. If we stayed there, we would surely freeze to death.

I decided to try again, picking myself up shakily, and taking his arms and dragging him a few feet forward. I could see a road nearby, and made my way towards it.

My legs gave out again and I fell to my knees into the sand, nearly falling on top of Mugen. I gagged and covered my mouth, dry heaves shaking my body. I recovered and put his head in my lap once more, this time for my own comfort. I gave up right then and there. It hurt me to do so, but there was absolutely nothing else I could do for myself or for Mugen. We were going to die.

I closed my eyes, tears falling into his hair. The wind picked up, and I thought I heard something. I must have been imagining things...but then, there it was again!

"Fuu-chan..."

Somebody had called my name! I opened my eyes and looked around wildly until I saw them.

It was Jin. Never in my life had I been more happy and relieved to see him. I quickly noticed the woman next to him and the pull cart behind him. He came closer to us and left the cart with the woman at the road. He moved to my side nimbly and his normally straight face portrayed more emotion than I've seen when he saw my condition, and then Mugen's.

"I'm so glad to see you, Jin-kun," I laughed tiredly.

I don't really remember everything that happened after that. I remember that Jin threw Mugen over his shoulder and put him over the cart, covering him with layers of clothes and blankets. The woman was kind enough to lend me one of her kimonos, and I sat with Mugen on the cart as Jin pulled. I directed them back to the house, which wasn't far at all.

My body felt broken, but with a thought, my spirits had risen: Mugen and I had survived.

Together.

_A/N: Well that was a fun little chapter XD. Hope you all enjoyed! There's one chapter after this one, and then this fic will be done. There will be quite a few loose ends (pointed out by one of my lovely reviewers :) ) tied up, so if there were some things you needed answered, you should definitely read the next chapter. Until then, review please! _


	10. Chapter 10 To have someone

_Hello all! Well, this is it- the last chapter. I've decided to include the epilogue at the very end instead of making it a separate chapter that way it wouldn't be too confusing. This is a big chapter- I'm really tying up all those loose ends that you guys brought to my attention. If I don't cover something you noticed, you can always send me a PM ;) I hope that I get everything XD Alrighty then, here we go! _

**Disclaimer: I do not own Samurai Champloo, any of the characters, or the song this fic is based loosely upon.**

Chapter 10- To have someone to come home to

Once we got home, I felt my spirits rise. I was extremely tired and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but I was too worried about Mugen to allow myself that pleasure. Fortunately, the woman that had been with Jin took care of everything for me. Mugen needed quite a few stitches for his side and the gunshot wound and a better splint for his broken arm. She also tended to my bumps and cuts, and gave us both something warm to eat and drink.

I could understand why Jin loved Shino. She was absolutely amazing and beautiful, and one of the kindest people I have ever met. Even when she was treating Mugen and I, she smiled and would reassure me. She made me comfortable not only physically, but mentally.

Afterwards, I took a long, hot bath and finally allowed myself the rest that I had earned. It was a long, dreamless and restful sleep.

I awoke when I heard someone in my room, jumping and reaching instinctively for my aikuchi, but stopped when I saw Shino setting some of my clothes on my dresser. She smiled and bowed, saying a simple "Excuse me" and left.

I dressed quickly and met Jin out in the main room. Our eyes met and the corners of his mouth rose into his version of a smile.

"How do you feel now?"

"Good, thank you," I smiled. I shyly tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. There was so much I needed to say to him, but I didn't know where to start. "Look, Jin...I really appreciate what you did. I know you don't really approve of him, but you helped us anyway. Thank you." I bowed deeply and stood back up, but I did not meet his eyes again. "I really didn't deserve it after what I said and did. I was acting like a brat, and I'm sorry."

I looked up at him quickly and was proud to see that he appeared impressed. I breathed in deeply and continued shyly.

"...but I was serious when I said that I mean to stay here. I've had a long time to sort out my feelings, and I decided to come back to him. Nobody knows him the way I do." I blushed slightly, and my heart was pounding. " I love it here. I feel like I can truly be myself and not be judged. The person I was before was not me. I am free now."

"I plan on writing to my father as you advised, but I am not going back. This is, and always will be, my decision, and mine alone." I fell silent and he closed his eyes. The silence that followed was not irritating or suffocating, but refreshing. All the things that had been roaring inside me had finally come out, and it felt good.

Finally, we looked each other straight in the eyes, and he said "I understand."

I couldn't help but to run over and hug him tightly, whispering, "Thank you."

xXx

Jin and Shino didn't stay for very long afterwards. I tried to get them to stay for at least a few more days, offering them a room to rest after walking so long and through such rough weather, but they wanted nothing more than to go home. Shino left me instructions on how to tend Mugen's wounds, and in return, I gave them food and supplies for their trip. I wished them the best of luck in their new life together, and then they were gone.

Finally, we were back at our own home, safe and sound. It was peaceful and quiet around the house while I worked, cleaning up between checking on Mugen while he slept and changing his many bandages. He slept for a long time, but I was calm.

I felt closer to him during that time. We didn't talk, or fight, or even make eye contact, but I felt as though our strange bond had been strengthened.

As he got better and was awake more often, he began asking for his sake. After a little while I took pity on him and brought him some, since I figured that it would also help ease the pain and keep him warm.

I think that it was a little naive of me to give him the alcohol, however, because he drank quite a bit. It was after the third empty bottle that he started asking me to join in, and I figured out that he was buzzed. He became pretty talkative, and we actually talked for quite a bit.

It wasn't until the fifth bottle of sake that I thought to take advantage of his state of mine. He was talking to me much more than he had ever done before, and I had a few questions that I had always wanted to ask him; of course, when he was sober, he would answer with sarcastic remarks or grunts.

"Hey Mugen..." I poured him a shot and he gulped it down quickly, holding it out for another. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure," he grinned, slurping down his drink.

"You remember the day we met, right? You jumped into my window. Why did you jump into my window and not anybody else's?"

He scoffed a little, " 'Cause your window was still open. I was just checking out that city for anything I could take, but they saw me and started sounding the alarm. Everybody else had closed their windows, but yours was open, and I could see a woman inside." He swallowed some sake and grinned a very drunk smile, "I love women."

"Uh-huh..." I raised one eyebrow. "Maybe you should slow down a little."

His eyebrows scrunched together with annoyance, but he waited a few minutes for his next drink. He started to eye the bottle.

I pulled it behind me a little bit. "Why did you take me away in the first place?"

He simply grunted and pushed the little shot glass in my face. I shook my head. "Answer my question and you'll get your sake."

He looked at me sourly and his jaw jutted out in almost a pout. Mugen didn't answer me for a long time, and I wondered if I had made him to stop drinking for the night.

"Your eyes," he said. I jumped a little, in both surprise and confusion.

"What?"

"Your eyes," he repeated, looked up at me. "I've always heard that you can see a person's soul through their eyes." He burped. "Not that I believe that bull, but...there was something in yours that I didn't like. You looked..." he seemed to be searching for a word.

"Angry?" I suggested, remembering my mood that night all those years ago.

He shook his head.

"Sad?"

He shook his head again, and he cried out as he remembered

"Lonely. You looked lonely. I didn't like it either...it was too familiar..." He hiccuped and held his cup out for his reward.

I sat still, shocked by his words. I remembered that empty feeling and all the pain that it had brought me throughout my life. He had known that pain as well, and when he saw me, he saw someone who he could relate to.

'Mugen captured me...so he wouldn't be lonely anymore..' I thought to myself, and I had to put a hand over my mouth to stifle a sob. Tears had started to run down my cheeks and I wiped them away.

While I had been distracted, Mugen had grabbed the bottle just behind me, but when he noticed me crying, he jumped up and seemed to forget his drink.

"Oi! What'sa matter with you?"

"Nothing," I sniffed and smiled. I understood some of my own feelings now. Part of the reason I liked being with him was because I didn't feel lonely anymore, and now I knew that he felt that way too. I never would have guessed that he would be that way.

"I'm gonna kick the guy's ass that made you cry," he said angrily.

I laughed at the irony. "Why do you always say that?"

He dropped the little cup and began drinking from the bottle itself. Sake dribbled out of the corners of his mouth and he finished the bottle off with a ragged sigh. "I don' like seein' a...pretty girl cry."

I blushed and looked down at the floor. I took the empty bottles from the room and came back to help him lay back down. I bid him goodnight, but he had already fallen asleep from all the booze.

Over the next few days he was awake more and could sit up on his own. He didn't seem to remember our conversation- perhaps he did and was just pretending not to- and I was a little glad he didn't bring it up.

I found him one night sitting up and he appeared to be deep in thought. I sat down next to him and set the tray with his dinner on the floor. I began dishing out some rice, watching him carefully.

" 'Ey, Fuu," he said suddenly, startling me and making me spill some of the rice.

"Y-Yes?" I stammered, picking up what I had spilled. I wondered if he was going to ask me about the night before but he seemed to have something else on his mind.

"You ever been on a boat?"

"Once, but I was very small. I don't remember it very well." I handed him a bowl of rice and one of hot soup.

"Good," he remarked, and began devouring his food.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'good' ?"

He finished his food and gave me his bowl for more. " 'Cause after I'm done healin', we're gonna leave this place, and we're gonna take my boat."

"You have a boat?" I scoffed.

"I fish, don't I?" he rolled his eyes, but I know he saw how impressed I was.

I gave him more food. "So, where do you plan to go when we're on this boat of yours?"

"Wherever. As long as it's away from this place."

"Okay," I said. I felt excited at the sound of a new beginning. There was no telling where we would be headed, but I was confident. "I'd like that."

Epilogue- My December

"Kasumi-sama, a letter has arrived for you."

I looked up in surprise- I did not usually get mail unless it was an emergency, but such notices would be delivered by an official. Instead, it was a young woman, dressed in every-day clothing. She bowed quickly and shyly and left as though embarrassed.

I examined the beautifully colored and decorated letter, noting how familiar it seemed. I had only gotten letters like this one by two people, and they had been two of the most important people in my life. Fuu would often send my letters when I would have to leave, and it would be decorated very much like this one. She had stopped after her mother died, but I could still remember how much I looked forward to her little letters.

This one was decorated with sunflowers, reminding me of what my wife would send to me. I turned it over for the name of the sender, but there was nothing besides my name. My hands shook as I opened the letter carefully. I tried not to ruin the pictures and thought that it was strange that I would do so. I had only been so careful whenever I would open one of their letters.

Inside I found a letter in handwriting that brought comfort to my tired and weathered soul. It was her handwriting, and I smiled at all the smiley faces and pictures on the sides of the paper.

I read slowly, making sure not to miss a word.

_"Dearest Otou-san,_

_How are you? I hope you aren't working too hard- you'll get sick again! :( _

_I can hardly concentrate as I write this to you. I'm on a boat crossing the ocean! Can you believe it? It's been a long time since I was on a boat. I didn't remember it very well at first, but I had a dream about it and it came back to me. _

_It was just after Mom died. She had been sick for a long time and for her to just pass was more than we could handle. We were so worn down, so you took me on a boat to try and cheer me up. At first, I was afraid on the ocean because of how loud it was. I started to cry, and you picked me up and held me and told me that everything would be okay, because you were still there for me. And although she was gone, Mom would protect and watch over me too..."_

I smiled and wiped my eyes quickly.

_"...Now that I'm older, I understand that a lot more. I know that you were hurting too, and needed that day as much as I did. It was hard on both of us, and I still cry over her sometimes. _

_It is important to remember what you told me. Even though you were comforting me when I was scared, I know now that part of your words were aimed at the hurt I was feeling about my mother. I think that you should know that as much as you are there for me, I am there for you, even if I'm not there in person. I am always with you, and always will be. _

_We had some tough times together, but those times are what brought us closer. I have never hated you, no matter what I said, because I know you were just looking out for me and trying to do what was best for me. I might not have understood it at times, but there were instances that I did understand and appreciated what you did. _

_When I left, I was not trying to hurt you. I was not angry or upset with you. As weird as this may sound, all those years ago, I found something in myself that I didn't know I had lost. Despite having the life I had, I was still missing something. I tried to come back to my life with you, but it wasn't what I needed. I hope you understand what I am trying to say. _

_I want you to know that I love you very much, and I thank you for looking out for me and providing for me. Maybe we'll meet again someday :) If we do, I hope I will have made you proud. _

_Well, I have to go now. Mugen says that he can see land on the horizon. How exciting! _

_Please don't worry about me. Even as I say it, I know that it's not going to happen XD I feel that I had to ask anyway. _

_Love you always. _

_Your daughter, _

_~Fuu_"

I read that letter three times in a row. I would have read it again, but by then, my tears were too great and I couldn't concentrate.

My dearest child...she was moving on in the world. She was no longer a helpless child dependentb on me. She was now a fully matured woman on her own.

I held the letter close to me and went silently to the window. I looked up past the mountains and to the sky on the surface of the ocean. "Our daughter has grown up...We're very lucky, aren't we?"

I was a very lucky man. I had never considered myself to be one until then. I felt worried about her safe being, but deep down, I knew that she will be very safe. It is in my nature to worry about her.

She will always be that little girl in my arms that day on the ship. I remember how when she smiled, it comforted me and made me grateful that she was still with me.

Even though she is not here with me, I can still feel her, just as I can still feel her mother.

And that...is good enough for me.

~End~

_Aww...well that's it. I wanted to give it a happy ending instead of being kind of sad. I hope that I answered everyone's questions, but if I didn't, just give me a yell XD I hope you enjoyed this fic. See you all again some time! _


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